Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. J Sep Sci. 2023 Feb;46(4):e2200812. doi: 10.1002/jssc.202200812. Epub 2023 Jan 11. Extraction and preparation of 5-lipoxygenase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from Astragalus membranaceus stems and leaves. Liu R(1), Zhang Y(1), Li S(1), Liu C(1), Zhuang S(1), Zhou X(1), Li Y(1), Zhang Y(1), Liang J(1). Author information: (1)College of Chemistry, Central Laboratory, Changchun Normal University, Changchun, P. R. China. In this study, an efficient method that employs 5-lipoxygenase and acetylcholinesterase as biological target molecules in receptor-ligand affinity ultrafiltration-liquid chromatography was developed for the screening of enzyme inhibitors derived from the Astragalus membranaceus stems and leaves. The effects of the extraction time, number of extraction cycles, ethanol concentration, and liquid-solid ratio on the total yield of the target compounds were investigated using response surface methodology, and the bioactive components were isolated using a combination of semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and high-speed countercurrent chromatography via a two-phase solvent system consisting of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:6:2:6, v/v/v/v). Subsequently, 10 naturally-occurring bioactive components in the Astragalus membranaceus stems and leaves, including wogonin, ononin, isoquercitrin, calycosin-7-glucoside, 3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxyptercarpan, hyperoside, 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan, baicalein, calycosin, and soyasaponin, were screened using affinity ultrafiltration to determine their potential effects against Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, all target compounds had purities higher than 95.0%, and the potential anti-Alzheimer's disease effect of the obtained bioactive compounds was verified using molecular docking analysis. Based on the results, the back-to-back screening of complex enzyme inhibitors and separation of the target bioactive compounds using complex chromatography could provide a new approach to the discovery and preparation of natural active ingredients. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202200812 PMID: 36502278 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 2. Nat Prod Res. 2022 Aug;36(15):4031-4035. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2021.1903003. Epub 2021 Mar 25. Fractional analysis of dichloromethane extract of Scutellaria araxensis Grossh root and shoot by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS(n). Gharari Z(1), Bagheri K(1), Sharafi A(2)(3). Author information: (1)Department of Plant production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. (2)Zanjan Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. (3)Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Scutellaria araxensis is a well-known ethnobotanical herb for the treatment of various diseases in Iranian traditional medicine. In this study, dichloromethanolic fraction of partitioned methanol root and shoot extract was analysed by silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography combined with photodiode-array detector, and coupled to electrospray ionization with Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MSn) in positive ion mode. Metabolites were tentatively characterized by comparing their mass spectrometry spectra with those of bibliographic data. A total of 11 flavonoids were identified from different fractions. Results showed that root and shoot produced very similar flavone patterns characterized by the presence of baicalein, tricin, tenaxin I, tenaxin II, skullcapflavon II, chrysin, wogonin and isorhamnetin. Norwogonin and apigenin-7-glucoside were identified only from shoot. Remarkably, Tenaxin I, II, tricin, apigenin-7-glucoside and norwogonin were tentatively profiled as new compounds for the first time from S. araxensis formula. DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2021.1903003 PMID: 33764217 [Indexed for MEDLINE]